Worth Waiting For
by crazyiscool
Summary: What would happen if Ren left Japan for America after being turned down and returned 5 years later? Kyoko is a lead actress, Ren is internationally renown and now he's ready to tell Kyoko everything. This will be mature later on, but will be a slow-burn.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I've not been on for a while, life has a way of distracting you, but I'm back now, I may struggle to continue with my other Skip Beat! stories as it has been a while in terms of the manga's storylines and they have evolved quite a bit. I will try to update them, maybe even edit first and then update if I can.**

 **Same message as on every other story: I do not own the rights to Skip Beat! or any of the characters.**

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Kyoko fluffed her hair as she looked into the dressing room mirror, her hair was a dark, rich brown now, long and luscious. The years had been kind to her, far from the young, inexperienced rising star Kyoko was now a household name, the years had matured not only her career but her appearance. She'd gained the curves that she'd always lacked, though not curvaceous she was slim with a soft feminine figure. Kyoko grinned as she looked into her amber eyes framed with dark eyelashes emphasised with black mascara and a light coating of eyeliner. She had a date tonight, her shooting of the latest romantic drama was finished and she was sitting with her co-star for a meal, he was attractive with a nice laugh, he appreciated the traditional aspects of Japanese culture. Respected her slightly backwards opinion of what was and was not appropriate for a Japanese lady to do unmarried.

As she hooked her shoulder through her bag strap she checked her phone, skimming through the unread messages, smiling at a message asking for her finish time from Jun-san. As she clicked on his message she noticed a message from an unknown number, she pressed back to click on the message, her mind winding back to the last person who regularly sent her messages from an unknown number. Tsuruga-san had been in America for the last 5 years, he'd left when she'd turned him down romantically, a choice she regretted as an adult. It had probably been the correct decision, she'd been only 19 when he'd asked her out, her heart still wounded and too young to hold a mature relationship with an older man. As she opened the message her eyes widened with shock. "Kyoko, I'm back from the USA, would you like to meet? Ren Tsuruga (Your Ren)" Typical of him, before he'd left he'd liked to tease her, hinting, suggesting that he was hers, how he could still do that when turned down she did not know. Kyoko frowned checking her watch, she was running late but she found she cared very little for her dinner date her mind now filled with the idea of seeing the man she had admired up close and from afar.

Ren flung his hand up to protect his eyes from the glare of the sun as he stepped off the plane onto the tarmac, he slung his carry on over his shoulder, before flipping his sun-glasses open and onto his face.  
"Glad to be back, Ren?" Yashiro's grinning voice greeted him as he walked over. "You have no idea. I think my father tried to make me put on double my weight." Ren grinned at his long time friend and previous manager. "Have you been looking after Kyoko well?"  
"Oh like you don't know! I know you've been getting updates from Lory." Yashiro's tone was already taking on that teasing edge, he never changed even at 30 odd and now happily married he still acted like a young girl.

"Can't hide anything from you. You really are a super-manager." A sardonic smile showing white teeth plastered Ren's face, if his eyes had not been covered they would have been glinting bitterly.

"Come on, Ren. I know you've missed her and I know she's missed you." Yashiro paused and pulled Ren's sunglasses down. "She's been on a few dates since you've left, even done some romance dramas. She's matured and she's ready now, she's considering having relationships, not running away from them now." He didn't want to hear this, did not want to hear that the woman she loved was out in the dating world whilst he had spent the last 5 years living like a monk with his parents. Yes, the years had been therapeutic, had brought his family back together and helped him grow his international career. But he'd missed her, missed her bright smile and polite manners, how she could suddenly turn into a completely different person when needed.

"Actually she has a date tonight, with her costar, he's nice, attractive, if not a bit boring. He's a safe option." Yashiro really was an amazing manager, an excellent judge of character.

"So whilst she's matured she's still not taking risks?" Ren muttered. "I'll be too much of a risk to her, I am not the safe option, Yashiro." Once again that bitterness crept in, Kuon wanting out at the injustice that the woman he loved did not see him as a viable option.

"No you're not, but you are the man she wants. She is settling for second best because she turned down the best as a child. Now she is an adult, she realises that she does not want to be alone but the man she loves is in another country." How he always knew so much Ren would never know but he was glad that Yashiro was on his side.

"Here's her new phone number, give her a text, invite her out. She won't say no."

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 **So, I hope you enjoyed this.**

 **I'm sorry for being away for so long, but I am back (I will continue writing as my boyfriend keeps reminding me to :P) and I will try and update as often as possible.**

 **If you are interested in any of my original writings, I do upload on wattpad (infrequently) and me and my friend also have a website for our writing, if you want to read any stories or our website then drop me a PM for the links. I don't want to possibly break any rules so I won't advertise here.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again, in response to a review I understand that some people are confused as to whether I will be posting here. I will post all fanfiction on here, the only things I will post elsewhere will be my own original work.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, I'm so glad people like the idea :)**

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Kyoko stood ramrod straight as she carefully dialled the unfamiliar number, her hands shook slightly as a delicate frown creased her brows. It was impolite of her to cancel this late, rude actually, especially to meet another man. But Tsuruga came first, she hadn't seen him in so long, she had hurt him the last time they saw each other and she wanted to apologise, to see how he was doing. Kyoko panicked as she saw her phone had finished dialling, that he'd actually picked up, she hurriedly placed the phone to her ear, her posture the same as it had always been, prim and proper. "Jun-san, sorry I didn't notice you'd picked up." Kyoko let the silence fill the air as she thought, then Jun-san's smooth, mature voice drifted over the phone and shook her out of her revere.  
"That's ok Kyoko-chan. So are you leaving work now? I can pick you up from the studio." Jun-san had left three hours earlier when his scenes had finished shooting, so it was a very generous offer. "Um, well Jun-san that's what I was calling about..." Once again silence settled in the air. "You see an old friend of mine has just informed me that they've landed in Tokyo and I've not seen them for several years, so I was wondering if we could rearrange for another time?" She winced as she finished, it had all came out in a garbled, panicked rush and she wasn't sure if by omitting that it was a man she was meeting she was lying to Jun-san.  
"Oh." Kyoko tried not to hear the disappointment in Jun-san's vice. "Of course, you must be eager to see her." And there it was, the moment to say that it's a man she was meeting, but all that came out was a timid "Yes. I've missed them." She had lied this time, deliberately not corrected his assumption that her friend was a woman. The rest of the call ended in simple niceties, Jun-san pushing for a new date for their dinner but Kyoko refused to commit, she was busy these days after all. Kyoko sat down on a nearby chair in the dressing room and sighed, guilt filling her even as excitement grew and overrode it. With shaking hands she tapped in her response, manicured finger-nails tapping against the smooth smart-phone screen. "Of course I would love to meet you Tsuruga-san. Shall we meet at yours? I'm sure you'll be mobbed as soon as you're seen after all." It was daring of her, to invite herself around to his flat, he'd never sold it so she knew he had it available. She was knocked out of her thoughts with the ting of a new text, her eyes glowing as she read his reply. "That would be very helpful, Kyoko-chan. I'll see you in about half an hour? Spare key is where it's always been." Ah, so he'd never changed the position, she'd assumed that he wouldn't want her to have access to his flat when she'd turned him down, true he hadn't been present but still. She grinned as she remembered all those secretive nights, how she'd sneak into the building so the press would not see a no-name actress entering Tsuruga Ren's apartment building. They never did anything, not that she didn't consider it but she'd been too afraid to try and Tsuruga had been too polite to consider it she supposed. Perhaps she'd have to sneak in again, this time trying to avoid catching any media attention, they'd all want pictures and reasons why the Kyoko was entering an apartment building that she did not live at but her sempai had once resided in.

She hadn't needed to sneak in in the end, after all now she drove it was rather easier, all she had to do was drive into the underground car park. She hadn't even been followed from the studio, due to the late hour the media had probably assumed that she had gone home, given a lift by either her manager or a co-star. All in all it had been far too easy and now she was sitting in her car under the apartment building 15 minutes early and panicking. The last time she had seen him she had turned him down, she'd been in love but terrified and now she was in love and so scared that he had moved on, maybe he'd brought a girlfriend back from America, someone blonde, curvaceous with an easy smile. She was too busy imagining this intimidatingly sexy, charming woman that she did not notice Tsuruga Ren standing by her car until he knocked on her window.

Kyoko startled in her seat, Ren almost felt guilty and he saw her jump, her eyes widen as she swirled to look at him. How he'd missed her expressive face, he could tell she'd been off in some day-dream, apparently not a very nice one seeing the look on her face before he'd knocked. He smiled, wide, his joy lighting up his face, pulling his lips back, showing white teeth that beamed happiness down at her, he went to open her door hoping she'd stop gaping if he opened it. "Tsuruga-san." That polite, formal tone, it rankled him and caused Kuon to surface. "I think after all we've been through you can call me Ren, Kyoko." He deliberately dropped the chan he'd always added on to make her feel more secure, more safe. It had done him no good the previous time, perhaps shocking her into impoliteness was the way to get her to open up. "Of course. I've missed you Ren." She smiled as she folded her way out of her car, expensive heels clicking onto tarmac as long legs unfolded straight and strong. She'd grown since he'd been gone, not in height but in shape, she'd filled out in ways he had not imagined five years ago and her tastes in clothing had followed, the dress clung, ending just above the knees it was not immodest in height (after all she'd felt so uncomfortable in Setsu's tight revealing get up) but it clung all the way up to the scooped neckline. His mouth dropped open as he not only took her in but also her words, when had she been so confident in calling a man by his first name alone? When had she sounded so smooth and mature, the nervous, unsure girl of her youth was gone. As Kyoko stepped towards him Ren grinned and opened his arms for her, testing, wondering if she would go willingly into his embrace. To his eternal surprise she stepped into his arms, her own wrapping around his back as she breathed in deep, he wrapped his own arms around her.

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 **Thanks for reading! :)**


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